Blue Heron Bridge · United States · Artificial reef · Muck & macro
Snorkel Trail
Reef balls, mini wrecks and hammerhead statues in a few feet of water
Photo: Pauline Walsh Jacobson · CC BY 4.0
A designated trail laid out in the shallows off Phil Foster Park, built from rock formations, reef balls, mini wrecks and a set of hammerhead shark statues. It sits in the same 5-to-20-foot band (up to 6 m) as the rest of Blue Heron Bridge and is worked one structure at a time, inside the hour either side of high tide. Snorkelers get as much out of it as divers do.
Also known as Phil Foster Park Snorkel Trail.
Where it is and how deep
26.7841° N, 80.0428° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Enter from the beach at Phil Foster Park inside the tide window, an hour either side of high water, and follow the marked trail out across the shallows. The route strings together rock formations, reef balls and mini wrecks, with statues of hammerhead sharks set along it, and it sits within the 5 to 20 feet (up to 6 m) that the bridge site as a whole covers. There is nothing here that rewards covering ground quickly.
Work each structure instead of swimming past it: the growth on the reef balls and the gaps in the rubble are where the small animals sit, and sergeant majors come inshore at Phil Foster Park. Nothing is to be touched, moved or picked up. Spearfishing and lobstering are not allowed anywhere at the bridge, and handling the wildlife is treated as a danger to the diver as much as to the animal. Be back on the beach by the end of the high-tide window.
Background
In 2022 Palm Beach County installed a Reef Smart Guides map at Blue Heron Bridge as part of the Phil Foster Park dive and snorkel trail, giving divers and snorkelers a published layout of the site before they get in the water. PADI has designated Blue Heron Bridge the number one shore dive in the United States.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good |
Season follows Blue Heron Bridge: Divable year-round; Apr–Aug brings the warmest water and the widest range of juveniles, and every dive is tied to the high-tide window.
Know before you go
- A marked boat channel runs through the site and boats use it. Stay clear of it; the site map shows where it runs. A divers-down flag is required and divers must stay within 91 m (300 ft) of it.
Photos from Snorkel Trail
Pauline Walsh Jacobson · CC BY 4.0
Pauline Walsh Jacobson · CC BY 4.0
Pauline Walsh Jacobson · CC BY 4.0
Dive videos
Blue Heron Bridge Snorkel Trail · Marty Gilman on YouTube
Scuba Diving the Snorkel Trail at Blue Heron Bridge, South East Florida · Mediterranean Blue Films on YouTube
Questions divers ask
What is on the snorkel trail?+
Rock formations, reef balls, mini wrecks and statues of hammerhead sharks, laid out as a designated trail in the shallows off Phil Foster Park.
When should I dive or snorkel the trail?+
Between an hour before and an hour after high tide. That is the window local shops publish and plan their trips around at Blue Heron Bridge.
Sources
- Blue Heron Bridge dive site guide — Force-E Scuba Centers
- Sergeant major (fish) — Wikipedia
- Reef Smart Guides — Wikipedia
- Phil Foster Park (OpenStreetMap) — OpenStreetMap
Photo credits
- A reddish octopus with orange-tipped arms peers out from among mussels and growth by Pauline Walsh Jacobson, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A round, mottled tan frogfish with a lure sitting on the seafloor by Pauline Walsh Jacobson, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A flat, warty polka-dot batfish with a yellow underside resting on sandy bottom by Pauline Walsh Jacobson, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A second mottled frogfish with a visible lure resting on the bottom by Pauline Walsh Jacobson, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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